Pakistan Declares Mecca Alliance "Defensive," Rules Out Expansion

🕌 ISLAMABAD — Pakistan won't let Riyadh turn the Mecca bloc into a war alliance. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: The Mecca bloc covers 40+ Muslim states. A public "defensive only" cap tells Riyadh — absorbing Houthi strikes — that Islamabad won't mobilize it offensively against Iran. That preserves Pakistan's mediation corridor with Tehran. Warning Iran over Houthis yesterday, capping the alliance today: Islamabad is calibrating both sides simultaneously.

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Iran FM Spokesman: No Hormuz Deal Without US Blockade Lifted First

🕊️ DOHA — Tehran just told Doha's mediators they're negotiating the wrong sequence. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Baghaei's statement reaffirms Iran's core sequencing demand: blockade ends first, then talks. Washington's position is the inverse. Three days of Doha talks haven't moved this

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Saudi Economy Buckles Under Iran War Strain Before Epic Fury Launches

📉 RIYADH — Saudi Arabia is absorbing war costs before the war officially starts. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Saudi Arabia's fiscal buffer — oil revenues — is being eroded by the conflict it's trying to stay neutral in. Houthi strikes on Dammam, basing pressure from Washington, and frozen OPEC+ output plans all

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WSJ: US Pushes Russian Gas Return to Europe in Ukraine Energy Ceasefire Deal

🛢️ ENERGY — Washington is pushing Russian gas back into Europe. Brussels won't. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: A Ukraine energy deal could buy Moscow's neutrality on Iran resupply — Russia controls Su-35 deliveries and Iranian stockpile resupply. EU governments blocking aren't just protecting energy policy; they're

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Washington Backs Japan Nuclear Submarine Push as China Airs Carrier-Killer Tests

⚓ TOKYO — Washington just endorsed Japan's nuclear submarine ambitions. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Nuclear propulsion converts Japan from basing host to forward deterrence platform. A nuclear-powered sub can shadow PLAN fleets for weeks. Washington's endorsement — days after China broadcast its DF-26B carrier-killer test — is a deliberate

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Iran FM Spokesman: No Hormuz Deal Without US Blockade Lifted First

Saudi Economy Buckles Under Iran War Strain Before Epic Fury Launches

WSJ: US Pushes Russian Gas Return to Europe in Ukraine Energy Ceasefire Deal

Washington Backs Japan Nuclear Submarine Push as China Airs Carrier-Killer Tests